Kyle Williams, Accused of Killing Officer, Gets New Lawyer

Kyle Williams has a new court-appointed lawyer to defend him against charges of fatally shooting Lakeland police Officer Arnulfo Crispin.

By JASON GEARYTHE LEDGER

BARTOW | Kyle Williams has a new court-appointed lawyer to defend him against charges of fatally shooting Lakeland police Officer Arnulfo Crispin.The 20-year-old Lakeland man is being represented by the Office of Criminal Conflict and Civil Regional Counsel.The group represents indigent defendants when the Public Defender's Office cannot because of a conflict of interest.It remains unclear whether the switch to a new lawyer will delay Williams' trial, which is set to begin in January 2014.A hearing is set for April 11 to check on the status of the case.Since his arrest, Williams has been represented by the Public Defender's Office, but the agency requested last week to withdraw because of a "conflict of interest."A written motion states the Public Defender's Office formerly represented "another criminal defendant" somehow connected to Williams' case and insists the agency could no longer represent Williams.The motion refuses to identify the "other client" and doesn't provide greater detail about the nature of the conflict of interest, citing ethical obligations to preserve client confidentiality.Williams is accused of shooting Crispin on the evening of Dec. 18, 2011, at a city park on Crystal Grove Lane.Crispin was attempting to do a pat-down search of Williams when he was shot, an arrest report states.Other young men with Williams in the park identified Williams as the shooter, the report states.Crispin, 25, was shot once in the head. He died at Lakeland Regional Medical Center on Dec. 21, 2011.Williams is charged with first-degree murder in the officer's slaying. Prosecutors are seeking the death penalty.

[ Jason Geary can be reached at jason.geary@theledger.com or 863-802-7536. ]